Shiner Rising Star kicks off with orientation

Mary Jane Farmer | July 22, 2011

Story and pix by Mary Jane Farmer

Shiner Rising Star for 2011 is kicking off, and most of the musicians met with Dallas Americana radio station KHYI general manager Joshua Jones Thursday night to get the ins and outs of the competition.

Most of the bands were represented, but there are some from farther away, such as Oklahoma City and Austin, making travel less convenient, and so Jones put a video-version of the orientation on the station’s Web site for them, or for anyone else to review. www.KHYI.com.

By the way, just as an aside, this radio station took the 2011 Texas Music Award for the Best Radio Broadcasting Station of the Year, and it’s personality, Brett Dillon, won the DJ Of The Year Award.

Shiner Rising Star is a three-stage competition for bands who are also songwriters. It is co-sponsored by Shiner Beer and Shiner Records.

It begins with 24 bands, selected this year from about 100 entries, who compete three at a time in Round 1 for eight weeks around the Metroplex. Bands will each have 30 minutes to perform original songs with one cover thrown in. Each Thursday night, they will vye to move into Round 2, in which they will be given 45 minutes to perform, and must include two cover songs. Round 3 will consist, naturally, of Round 2 winners, and will go back to the original 30-minute performance times.

Winners each week will be announced at 9 a.m. on KHYI, 95.3

The contests are held at 8 p.m. on Thursday nights. The schedule, as it stands now, is shown here.

(Note, please: This is not set in stone. Check back regularly, as sometimes the bands need to change dates with one another.)

The bands are vying for the first place prize of a recording contract complete with professional production, artwork and promotion. The winner this year will also receive some new band equipment, and an opening slot on the 2012 Texas Music Revolution all-day event also sponsored by KHYI.